Men's Tennis Prepares for Weekend in Virginia

MSU will face two ranked opponents in the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Senior Denis Bogatov earned victories in both singles and doubles play last weekend against the Irish of Notre Dame.

Feb. 13, 2013

EAST LANSING, Mich. -
The Spartan men's tennis team hits the road this weekend and heads to Virginia where they will take on two ranked opponents. MSU will open the weekend in Richmond, where they will face the No. 30 Rams of Virginia Commonwealth on Friday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m., before traveling to Blacksburg to take on the 46th ranked Hokies of Virginia Tech on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 12 p.m. The Spartans enter the weekend with a 4-4 mark and an ITA ranking of 48. Junior Aaron Pfister currently sits at No. 97 in the ITA singles rankings.

A LOOK AT THE RAMS

The Rams enter the weekend with a 6-3 mark, including wins over No. 62 North Florida and No. 44 Minnesota. Junior Alex Heugas leads the way for the Rams in the No. 1 slot, earning a 4-3 record during the dual season while facing four ranked opponents from four ranked teams. Senior Max Wennakoski has shined primarily at the No. 2 spot, posting a 6-1 singles record with two wins over ranked opponents and is currently ranked as the No. 14 singles player. Heugas and freshman Dylan McCloskey make up the No.1 doubles team.

SCOUTING THE HOKIES

Virginia Tech sits at 4-2 on the season, with both losses coming at the hands of ranked opponents in narrow fashion. The Hokies fell to No. 37 Northwestern, and fell to 46th ranked Middle Tennessee by the same score. Leading the way for Tech is a pair of outstanding freshman who have made their mark in the program early. Andreas Bjerrehus has been in top form for the Hokies at the No. 1 singles spot, where he has gone 5-1 in dual matches and is currently ranked No. 44 in the ITA singles rankings. In the No. 2 spot, Amerigo Contini is a perfect 5-0 and has earned a No. 65 ranking in singles. The freshman duo pairs up to make the No. 1 doubles team, which is ranked No. 15 and has posted a 5-0 record in dual matches.

Before the Spartans, the Hokies will face St. Bonaventure on Friday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT

The Spartans celebrated their 100 year anniversary last weekend following their match against No. 29 Notre Dame with a banquet honoring the All-Century team.